Over the past year, Ye Chen confirmed three key things.

First.

Once a gift was given, taking it back to regift it to someone else wouldn't work. The system wouldn't provide a second reward. Instead, it would issue a stern warning: "Please don't exploit bugs!"

It happened when Ye Chen gifted a Phoenix Stone to a direct disciple in the late Foundation Establishment stage at Quiet Wonder Peak. After giving it away, no reward came. The stone, worth tens of thousands of top-grade spirit stones, was essentially given for nothing. It was the first time since Ye Chen transmigrated that he'd been taken advantage of.

Watching the female cultivator squat on the ground, crying with joy, he couldn't bring himself to ask for it back. Fine, let it go. With the system at his disposal, he wasn't short on resources. He'd just consider it an act of charity.

From that moment on, Ye Chen became something of a celebrity at Quiet Wonder Peak.

The second realization.

Ye Chen confirmed that Li Feihuang had truly gotten too full of himself. Over the year, Heavenly Evolution Pavilion held another auction. One of the items was a top-tier fire-element robe, crafted by an elder of Heavenly Evolution Holy Land. Made entirely from the finest fire-element materials, it was a game-changer for cultivators who specialized in fire techniques, boosting their combat power by thirty to forty percent.

Naturally, such a remarkable robe sparked a frenzy among Golden Core cultivators. Ye Chen spent a whopping seventy thousand top-grade spirit stones to secure it. After winning it, he personally delivered it to Li Feihuang.

When Li Feihuang examined the robe, her eyes lit up with obvious delight. Ye Chen waited eagerly for the system's five-hundred-fold critical reward. But… nothing happened. No critical hit. Instead, he received five hundred top-grade spiritual artifact robes and a casual promise from Li Feihuang: "I'll repay you in the future."

In that moment, Ye Chen understood completely. Li Feihuang was too arrogant. She believed the throne was already hers, that once she ruled Great Chu, she could repay him effortlessly. She'd lost her sense of gratitude. Even when given a gift she loved, it no longer triggered a critical reward.

After that incident, Ye Chen stopped paying much attention to Li Feihuang. He occasionally sent her basic materials for the five-hundred-fold reward, but his focus shifted to An Miaoli. After all, if the empress wouldn't trigger critical rewards, she wasn't worth his effort.

The third discovery was related to his Five-Color Golden Core.

In his spare time over the past year, Ye Chen often visited the library of the Divine Will Sect to pore over various texts. The Divine Will Sect, as expected of a Nascent Soul sect, had a collection far richer than that of the Green Cloud Sect. Among the texts, Ye Chen found a few ancient books mentioning the Five-Color Golden Core.

One book described how, when the Chaotic Ancient True Immortal broke through to the Golden Core stage, his core radiated a seven-colored light, exuding boundless grandeur and profound mystery.

The author, claiming to be the True Immortal's junior brother, had the rare privilege of meeting him after he ascended to immortality. He respectfully asked about the wonders of the Seven-Color Golden Core, wondering if it was merely stronger than an ordinary core.

The Chaotic Ancient True Immortal replied, "Before ascending, it's just a matter of denser and higher-quality spiritual power—dozens of times stronger than a ninth-grade Golden Core, with greater combat strength and a higher-grade Nascent Soul after forming it. But after ascending, its true profound potential becomes clear. What a pity it's only seven colors. If I had achieved the ultimate Divine Light Golden Core, my path as an immortal would have stretched even further."

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The description was brief, just a few lines, but it left Ye Chen lost in thought for a long time.

From the True Immortal's words, it was clear that the more colors a Golden Core's divine light had, the better. Not only did it make one stronger in the present, but its significance after ascension seemed even greater. Even a figure like the Chaotic Ancient True Immortal, who could dominate an era, regretted having only a seven-colored core instead of nine.

This realization stirred mixed feelings in Ye Chen. His own core had only five colors—two fewer than the True Immortal's. It made sense, though. Compared to a peerless genius like the Chaotic Ancient True Immortal, who could suppress an entire era, Ye Chen's aptitude was somewhat lacking.

Still, Ye Chen had always pursued perfection in his cultivation journey. Now, knowing his Golden Core wasn't the best, he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. If only he could give away his Golden Core and trigger a critical reward for a better one…

He'd heard of cultivators having their eyes or bones forcibly taken, but a Golden Core? He'd never heard of it being useful to anyone else. So, the idea of getting a better one through the system was likely a pipe dream.

All he could do was strive for perfection in the next stage of his cultivation, minimizing the impact of his less-than-perfect Golden Core on his future ascent to the immortal path.

…

"Elder Ye, thank you so much for sharing your alchemy insights last time. I've finally refined my first batch of third-grade pills! If you have some time, why don't you visit my cave abode? I have a jar of Spirit Monkey Wine—perfect for expressing my gratitude."

A Golden Core elder from Quiet Wonder Peak spotted Ye Chen and immediately expressed her heartfelt thanks, warmly inviting him to her abode.

Ye Chen smiled and politely declined. This elder had an attribute spiritual root, yielding a fifty-fold reward. Beyond that, she was already a second-grade perfected alchemist. Six months ago, Ye Chen had gifted her Guhe's alchemy insights, which triggered a critical reward: the insights of a third-grade perfected alchemist.

Beyond alchemy, Ye Chen had also gifted insights into the other six immortal arts—artifact refining, spiritual planting, formations, beast taming, and talisman crafting—seizing every opportunity to do so.

As a result, his proficiency in all six immortal arts had reached the third-grade perfected level. While most of these skills weren't immediately useful, Ye Chen lived by the motto: I may not need it, but I can't be without it. He never missed a chance to expand his arsenal.

Most of these insights came from An Miaoli, who had helped him acquire them as gifts in return. This made Ye Chen increasingly fond of her. With her ethereal grace and grateful heart, she always tried to repay his gifts, even if she couldn't match their value, tailoring her returns to his needs. Most of her gifts even triggered critical rewards. Truly an exceptional woman!

As a result, An Miaoli now ranked third among the people Ye Chen valued most.

…

"Senior Ye, thank you for the core-forming spiritual item you gifted me last time. I've formed a fifth-grade Golden Core—something I never dared dream of! I have no way to repay such immense kindness. If you don't mind, I… I'm willing to offer myself to you…"

Having declined the previous elder's invitation to drink, Ye Chen was approached by a newly advanced Golden Core cultivator. Her face brimmed with gratitude as she boldly expressed her audacious proposal.

Ye Chen's mouth twitched. This was the same woman who had wept with joy after receiving the Phoenix Stone. But with only an attribute spiritual root and a fifty-fold reward, she barely qualified as a servant in his eyes. Save your devotion for the next life! He thought.

All along the way, every female cultivator who saw Ye Chen greeted him with extraordinary warmth, from elders to disciples. Their eyes sparkled at the sight of him. If male cultivators from other peaks witnessed this, they'd be dumbfounded. Quiet Wonder Peak's women were known for their lofty standards—why were they so enthusiastic toward a male cultivator?

What could possibly be the reason?

…

An Miaoli and An Yuyi were both absent. This time, Ye Chen was only delivering some ordinary pills, so he casually gifted them to a Golden Core elder with a hundred-fold reward.

After receiving the feedback, he leisurely returned to his cave abode, pondering whether to personally craft a necklace or ring for An Miaoli. He imagined creating an extravagant, top-tier spiritual artifact ring, loaded with the finest materials, and wondered what kind of reward it might yield.

As he mused, a white figure soared back from beyond the Divine Will Sect, descending gracefully like an immortal onto Quiet Wonder Peak, right in front of Ye Chen's cave abode…

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